TWD: Gingerbread Baby Cakes

Crapola. I need to get off my behind and start shopping for Christmas presents. I can't believe it's already December! I'm usually pretty good and have ideas on what to get people by mid-October. But this year. Oh man....

Oh well! I'll just distract myself with baked goods instead. This week's TWD recipe is Gingerbread Baby Cakes.

These things are evil! EVIL I SAY! I couldn't stop eating them! Maybe because they are packed full of caffeine. Or maybe because they are just spicy enough for your body to release some endorphins. I don't know...but I sure did scarf a lot down.

Alone, they are rich and sticky from the molasses, with a big kick in the face of ginger power. The black pepper is really apparent in the aftertaste. It lingers on your tongue, just long enough, that you lose your willpower and have to take another bite.

To tone down the spiciness, I made some lemon mascarpone. The sweetness definitely mellows the cake out and brings in yummy tartness into the mix. Yay.

I liked having the cake either way, but I think I enjoyed it more on its own. Every time I took a bite, my mind would immediately think of the fight scenes from the old Batman TV show. KAPOW! WHAMM!

For the recipe, check out Karen's blog, Karen's Kitchen Stories. She was this week's host!

Notes: I used random amounts of molasses, because I was running really low on unsulphured molasses. I had 1:1:2 ratio of unsulphured molasses, blackstrap molasses, and agave nectar. Also, I used grated ginger instead of minced ginger. The batter was baked in a mini muffin pan and some of it was placed on a parchment paper lined sheet pan to make mini-cookies/whoopie pie-ish things. Yum.

TWD: Buttermilk Crumb Muffins

I'm such a slacker. I made these yum yums last night. They were lovely and quick to make. They're not the most filling breakfast, but they taste pretty good right after they are baked or straight from the toaster oven the next day.

I love how they are moist and fluffy. It kind of reminded me of a good, not so dense coffee cake or banana bread without the banana. I guess shortening can do that to muffins. Never knew.

I also liked the subtle tanginess from the buttermilk. It was so delicate, it made me want to eat muffin after muffin to bring out the flavor. Oh muffins, you're so fun and addicting.

The muffin top was fun too. The small brown sugar crystals gave it a tiny crunch, which reminded of rock candy. Kind of.

If I make these again, which I probably will, I would want to up the healthiness to these muffins. Maybe add some wheat bran. Or maybe I'll just eat a head of broccoli on the side to make myself feel better. We'll see.

If you would like to make yourself this quick breakfast treat, check out Alisa's blog, easier than pie, for the recipe.

Blueberry Pecan Bran Muffins with Spiced Streusel topping

Oh bran muffin! How I love thee so!! The muffin that brings me such joy with your moist goodness and everlasting texture!
I made bran muffins last Sunday to have throughout the week. They were deeeee-licious. There were so many flavors that came forward in every bite! Sometimes I would notice a hint of orange, a light flavor of molasses or come across a nice juicy blueberry. Yum.
The best part about making this muffin was that I learned the importance of flour being present in streusel topping. My first batched had everything in it except flour and it melted right into the muffin. That made it have a nice sweet surprise in the middle, which isn't a horrible mistake in my opinion.
The second batch I added flour to the streusel-like mixture and it looked sooo much better.
I used Joy of Baking's Bran muffin recipe and added 1 cup of dried blueberries and 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans.
For the topping, I didn't measure anything, but it is made up of butter, brown sugar, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, rolled oats and flour. I'll have measure it next time I make it, which I hope it is quite soon!